


The Tale of Princess in Boots

by EvilMuffins



Category: Ever After High
Genre: Costume Parties & Masquerades, F/F, Polyamory, Secret Identity, Yuletide 2016
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-31
Updated: 2016-12-31
Packaged: 2018-09-06 20:29:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8768110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EvilMuffins/pseuds/EvilMuffins
Summary: A mysterious masked swashbuckler has appeared at Ever After. Who ever could she be?





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ataratah](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ataratah/gifts).



> I took your prompt for any femslash pairing and ran with it! :) Hopefully you're pleased with the end result.  
> Happy Yuletide and holidays in general!

“Hey, did you hear?” Ashlynn set her lunch tray down on the Castleteria table as she whispered conspiratorially across at Briar. “She was back at it again last night.”

“Who was?” Raven asked, scooting in next to her.

“Shh!” Briar shushed. “Not too loud- we’re afraid that if she knows that we’re on to her, she might not want to do it anymore!”

“Do what? …And who’s doing it?” Raven sighed. Sometimes she wondered if the Wonderlandian transfer students were truly the most likely to speak in riddles.

“They're calling her ‘ _Princess in Boots’_ ,” Ashlynn explained, tone still hushed. “The other day, Ginger was baking a pie in in Home Hex class, but Kitty pulled a prank on her- holding the oven door shut while invisible- and there was such a hex of a lot of smoke, that Ginger couldn’t find her way out!”

“Just then,” Briar continued the story, “a girl in a mask and tall boots burst through the window, poked Kitty in the behind with her fencing sword until she let the stove door open again, then she guided both Ginger and Kitty out of the window into the fresh air! It was hexcellent!”

“Don’t forget the time she cut Daring down out of a tree,” Darling chimed in as she arrived at their table, arm-in-arm with Apple. “He climbed up to look at his reflection in a dewdrop on a leaf, and got himself stuck, but then this dashing swordswoman chopped off the branch!”

Raven could have sworn she caught a hint of jealously in Darling’s voice. Whoever this girl was, she must have been _fairy_ dashing in order to give Darling a run for her money, considering how popular the princess was with nearly every girl in the entire school. With so many girls competing for her attention, was it any wonder that Darling eventually wound up dating two of them at once? Even if Raven did sometimes secretly think to herself, late at night, that Darling was only going out with her as an extension of dating Apple. She found herself surprisingly okay with that.

“Ouch,” Ashlynn cringed, “Didn’t that hurt?”

“He was only five feet off the ground.” Darling rolled her eyes while Apple giggled.

“So Raven,” Apple began, changing the subject as she slid in beside Raven. “How was class so far today? I heard Baba Yaga was going to teach you how to conjure up a dragon from thin air! Isn’t that almost like what your mom and Faybelle did last month? I was thinking that maybe if there’s just the one, Darling could rescue us from it! Wouldn’t that be hexcellent?”

Raven swallowed a bite of her sandwich. “Not especially.

* * *

 

Another dragon appeared on the otherwise blank page, frolicking amid the college-ruled lines until it joined with the other two roughly sketched creatures. The newcomer sniffed at the others, before snorting a puff of inky fire toward them. At this, one of the original dragons leapt in front of its companion, quickly moving to protect her.

Frowning, Raven waved her hand over the sheet of loose-sheath paper, ceasing the enchantment she had cast over her doodles moments before. With a sigh, she leaned back in her chair, craning her neck to peer over to Apple’s side of the room, only to see her girlfriend furiously chipping away at her homework as if someone had set fire to her quill. Raven felt her consternated expression melting in spite of herself. While there were some things about Apple she would never understand, her work-ethic and determination were things that she deeply admired…even if the very same traits could be equally maddening at times.

This brought Raven back to dwelling on Apple’s comment about conjuring the dragon earlier. Although Apple had accepted Darling as her destined true love, now and then Raven still worried that Apple might to this day be hoping for Raven to fall into the villain’s role. Of course she believed that Apple had was making an effort to put aside her old ideals, but Raven also knew that it was hard to completely let go of something that had been drummed in since childhood.

* * *

 

“You can tell me honestly, you know,” Apple pouted. “You don’t have to hold back on me. How else am I ever going to improve?”

Darling sighed. “Alright, then. You could stand to place your legs farther apart; pretend you’re wearing breeches. No one’s going to care if you’re being princess-like when you’re facing down an ogre.”

“You could always try to reason with it,” Rosabella suggested from behind her nature magazine. Darling and Apple had found the dorm room that the White Knight shared with Rosabella to be the best place for secret sword training. While the faculty publicly encouraged the students to cultivate hobbies, everyone knew that that was only the case if the pastime didn’t clash with one’s perceived destiny. It was best for female Royals to keep things like sword training hush-hush.

“Reasoning with an ogre,” Darling pointed out, wrapping one arm around Apple’s waist, as the other moved to reposition her sword arm in a manner that involved more stroking than nessacery in the process, “Is like my trying to convince Apple here that there’s really nothing more that I can teach her at this point.”

Rather than hold the improved stance, Apple melted into the touch instead. It would seem that not only had she been practicing at her swordsmanship, but also honing the fine art of princessly pouting as well. “I still have so fairy much to learn, though! There’s no way I’m ready to face down the forces of evil like this!”

Rosabella set the magazine down on the nightstand, adjusting her glasses. “You make out with ‘the forces of evil’ on a regular basis. Maybe Darling is right, and it’s time for you to believe in yourself, that you’re actually skilled at sword fighting. After all, you’re good at so many things; you should be proud to add another to the list, you know?”

“I suppose so…” Apple said in the same voice she used when assuring her girlfriends that she wasn’t going to stay up all night studying for extra credit.

“By the way,” Rosabella began, thankfully changing the subject, “Where’s Raven this evening? Usually the three of you are like three magic beans in a pod!”

“She’s out with Maddie helping out test-taste some new flavors at her dad’s cafe,” Darling answered, absently curling a lock of Apple’s honey hair around her finger.

“Shouldn’t she be getting ready for the masquerade ball? It’s only tomorrow,” Rosabella asked. “Especially considering the theme, I’d have thought she’d want more time to prepare.”

“It’s not like we’re getting ready either right now,” Apple replied.

“Well, who could concentrate on primping when everyone’s buzzing about the Princess in Boots?” Darling’s voice was still tinged with a playful jealously. “I wish I could find out who she is so I can get a chance to spar with her…”

Hopefully tomorrow’s dance would allow Darling a chance to show off her heroic side as well, Apple thought mischievously.

* * *

 

Although the night was young, Darling was enjoying this dance far more than she had Thronecoming. That particular event had been held long before she had began dating both Apple and Raven. She had wound up dancing with Rosabella, who while she loved dearly as a friend, Darling had never felt that fairy special something for _._ Tonight Rosabella was off in a corner with Ramona, Ramona pantomiming some sort of mock-snarling act, while Rosabella pretended to cower in fear, giggling all the while. Darling was thrilled for them. While she very much wanted her brother to be happy, she also knew that he wasn’t ready to be tied down, and deciding if he was prepared to follow destiny or not was a big a decision that he and Rosabella both would need time for. She was glad to see her friend still enjoy herself in the meantime.

On the topic of destiny, Darling was also having a great time with the theme of the evening. Some of the staff had gotten together and decided that it might be a fun idea for the students to get a taste of what it might be like to masquerade as a different a character from their own story for one night. The theory was, that with so many students rejecting their roles willy-nilly these days, an innocent chance to stretch their legs and see what life was like on the other side of the page might scratch the itch, and then everyone could get on with their stories. Darling was fairy sure that it was Head Master Grimm’s idea. No one else on staff was quite so out of touch as he was.

Although the staff had likely imagined the princesses and villains swapping roles, Darling had taken up the opportunity to play the role of hero for the night.

Darling sighed contentedly as she watched Raven and Apple twirl on the dance floor. They were easy to spot amidst the swirl of other students despite their masks. The glittering red sequins on Raven’s, evoking her girlfriend’s namesake, caught the chandelier light with every turn, while Apple’s, more demure in comparison with black feathers blooming about, made her appear mysterious in a way Darling had never seen before. The effect given out by both together was enchanting.

Darling adjusted her own pure white mask, before flipping her cape (in a way she hoped was heroic- she had never openly had the chance to play her favorite role, after all) and striding out onto the floor.

“May I have this dance, Fairest Maiden?” she asked, bowing toward both Raven and Apple as soon as the song had finished.

Although the request had been addressed to either of them, Apple allowed Darling to cut in, giving a little curtsy as she stepped out into the jumble of less-coordinated, or otherwise dateless students milling around the outskirts.

Not that she wasn’t head over glass slippers for Apple, however, Darling found it nice to spend to spend some one-on-one time with Raven as well.

“How are you enjoying the evening so far?” Darling asked as she placed her palm on the small of Raven’s back, the Rebel’s skin warm to the touch, despite the breeziness of the open back of her red dress.

Raven snickered. “It’s been hexcellent so far, but Darling, we’re dating; you don’t need to be so formal.”

“Oh but I am not this ‘Darling’ of which you speak. I am but a humble knight, who wishes only to be at your service this evening.”

Raven rolled her eyes.

The music began to rise into a new piece, lively yet romantic. Although Melody was on DJ duty once again, she looked somewhat restless, tapping her fingers on the booth in boredom at the classical music. Duchess and Justine, however, clearly appreciated the divergence from Melody’s norm, the two engaging in some sort of ballet dance-off on the far side of the floor.

_One, two, step._

_One, two, step._

Darling immediately found herself spellbound with Raven’s rhythm as the two stepped together in perfect sync. More than ever, Darling was thankful for the times Dexter had taken time away from his sleep schedule to teach her how to take the lead role in ballroom dancing after their parents had gone to bed for the night all those years ago. It was paying off fantastically now, and she could hardly wait to test out her skill on Apple next. Not that she was in a great hurry to let go of Raven, of course. The taller girl’s breath was hot on her neck, face slightly flushed, as the exertion of multiple dances in a row began to make its lovely mark on her.

Speaking of Apple, though, where had she run off to? Darling wrested her eyes away from Raven to scan the tables and folding-thrones for her, however she wasn’t to be seen.

Before Darling could ponder Apple’s whereabouts further, a shriek arouse from the direction of the refreshments table.

“Ramona! Are you alright?”

Raven and Darling rushed over to see Ramona, red mask and hood cast aside as she doubled over, clutching at her stomach as a concerned Rosabella attempted to soothe her with a gentle hand on her shoulder.

Cerise, after casting a fretful glance at Ramona, closed her eyes over the punch bowl, giving it a deep whiff. “There’s something wrong with the punch. It smells like _bad magic_.”

If Cerise had had fur (of course that would be silly- everyone knew that she didn’t), it would have surely bristled as she hissed, suddenly scanning the gathered company for any stray magic users up to no good.

She didn’t need to search far, however. It was a good thing too, as Ramona’s wolfish ears were staring to grow bigger and more pronounced before everyone’s eyes, her nails stretching into claws, thick fur sprouting everywhere.

“Is _this_ who you’re looking for?” called out a voice from up above. Darling looked toward the largest chandelier, the rest of the crowd following suit.

There stood Princess in Boots, sword raised triumphantly in one hand, while in the other, a bouquet of party streamers leading to a Faybelle Thorn nearly ready to pop into a cloud of fairy dust from anger and embarrassment, hands and wings tied firmly behind her back.

The masked hero continued, “I found her spiking the punch with transmogrification potion!”

A squeal from Rosabella brought the group’s attention back to the other scene unfolding. Ramona had grown to nearly the size of Mr. Badwolf now, thick fur covering her entire snarling face as she loomed over Rosabella, who refused to budge, face set in determination.

“Ramona, get a hold of yourself!” She commanded firmly, yet still with her characteristic air of gentleness underneath.

Surprisingly, the beast that had been Ramona did listen, turning away from Rosabella…only to aim her growling at Raven instead.

Darling drew her sword, moving to place herself in front of Raven, hoping to scare off Ramona until Baba Yaga could arrive to set things straight.

“Stand back!” The Princess in Boots leapt down to the floor with a clack of her boot heels, brandishing her blade as well.

Darling smirked. Her stance was very impressive, although she was certain that she had seen it somewhere before.

At that moment, Baba Yaga came bursting into the room, led by the handful of students who had ran off to fetch her. With a simple wave of her gnarled hand, Ramona returned to her old self as if nothing had ever happened.

Or at least that’s what Darling thought she saw from the corner of her eye. At the moment, she could focus on nothing but the girl standing before her.

“You’re fairy skilled,” Darling noted, her sword still raised.

“I had an enchanting teacher,” the Princess replied.

Darling wasn’t entirely sure which of them initiated it, but the two began to circle one another, neither daring to make the first the move, however their motions were in perfect sync, a rhythm that only a true artist at the sword would know.

Before the two could truly begin to spar, however, they were interrupted by a male voice clearing his throat behind them, Headmaster Grimm. Faybelle stood beside him, unbound, but too fearful of his wrath to make a run for it.

“Although Miss Thorn was only doing what comes natural to a villain, I do believe that all of you have had enough of this party for one night.”

The gathered students grumbled here and there, going their separate ways back to the dorms following the announcement.

Ashlynn and Briar soon caught up with Darling and Raven.

“I can’t believe you got so close to Princess in Boots! She was sooo spelltastic!” Briar said.

“Though, it’s too bad you didn’t get a chance to dance with Apple, Darling…” Ashlynn lamented, always the romantic.

“Oh, don’t worry about that.” Darling smiled. “We actually did. Guess you just missed it, that’s all.”

With that, she and Raven ducked into the room the later shared with Apple, only to find the Royal already there, in her pajamas, looking over a stack of papers on her desk as if she hadn’t attended the party at all.

“Apple, why?” Raven asked simply, sitting down on Apple’s bed, while Darling remained standing near the door.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Her eyes remained fixed on the paper.

Raven sighed. Darling always thought of it as the _‘Oh for Grimm’s sake, Apple!’_ sigh.

“We’re not mad or anything, Apple. It’s just that we’re a little surprised. You’re always so hexcited over your destiny as Snow White, we’re just kind of curious as to why you’d want to play the hero suddenly.”

Apple sighed in her _‘You caught me, Raven, but I think it’s silly that you think my methods are silly’_ way. “Well, after you came forward, Darling, and told me that it wasn’t your brother who woke me up, I did a lot of thinking. …That maybe destiny wasn’t always what you expect, you know? Not that destiny isn’t real, or that I don’t want to follow mine anymore, or anything like that. In fact, now that I’m dating the two of you, I love it more than ever. That’s just the thing, though- Daring is a precious friend, and I care about him, but it isn’t in the same way that I love the both of you. When I’m with you, I…I feel like I’ve found something that I want to protect. I can still be Snow White, but a different kind of Snow White- one who can protect both her princess and her villain.”

Raven was stunned for a moment. “Apple, I…”

Darling continued for her, all the while gathering Apple up into a hug, “We’re very proud of you Apple.”

Apple stood from the desk chair to better reciprocate, wrapping her arms around Darling in turn. “Really?”

“But why keep it secret?” Raven asked, rising to join the huddle.

Apple wibbled. “You both fell in love with the old Apple, the one was so ridged about the path of her destiny. I was worried what you might think about all of this, so I wanted to test it out before letting you know.”

Darling leaned up to press a kiss on Apple’s forehead. “We love it.”

“We love _you,”_ Raven added.

As the three giggled and kissed and fell backward onto the bed in a tangle, Darling thought vaguely to herself about how she hoped that Rosabella wouldn’t say anything about her bed in their dorm remaining untouched for the night.

 

_The end_

 

 

 


End file.
